Annealing and hardening furnace.



W. S. ROCKWELL. ANNEALING AND HARDENING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1908.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

/ WITNESSES I ROCKWELL. ANNEALING AND HARDENING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED D20. 4, 1908.

Patented Nov. 16.1909.

3 SHEETBSHEET 2.

1N l E/V TOR 4& mom

i Attorney w. s. ROCKWELL. ANNEALING AND HARDENING FURNACE.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909v 3 SHEETS-BHEET 3.

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Ehnamber an im .210 bevel pinion 3(l onshaft 31 and rotates the latter. Thisshaft'is provided with a pulley the articles at the discharge end of thespirai may to escape from the furnace. As the furnace continues to revolve the door auto-' matically closes and remains so until it has made another revolution.

I 'lhe furnace body rests on four rollers 18 secured to shafts journaled 1n the fixed frame 19, and bearing against two heavy steel bands 20 riveted to the cylinder. The

with bevel pinion 26 on driving shaft 27, the latter being driven by "a chain engaging {sprocket wheel"2.8',or by a belt and pulley, in "lieu of the chain and sprocket.

The movementof thefurflnace turns shaft 22, and th'bevel pinion 29 on the lattermeshes with :carrying the-belt 31 which passes around Q-the' pulley 32 1on the'c'onveyer shaft 33 and 2. I l fthe furnace is'to be used for hardening,

aquenching tank'34 is located belowtlie disimparts movement to the conveyor 33.

' charge spout -35, the lower end of thespout terminating well down belowthe level of the 30.-

bath, and above and near the lower end of the conveyer 33. This-conveyer is provided or other receptacle. locatedin aposition to with buckets 36 into'which' the articles fall,

and the buckets are so constructed as to permittheliquid therein to drain out, the articles'in the buckets being carried up above the tankand depositedin a wheel barrow receive same.

The conveyer frame 37 rests on the. fixed channel irons 38, and is held thereon by "two bolts, by removing which the conveyer 33 may be removed intact, and as it rests on a fixed frame, it is impossible to replace same except in its correct position to receive the articles discharged into spout 35.

Either oil or gas may be used as a fuel,-

and if oil hekused'it can he atomized with compressed air or with steam at boiler pressure.

With my improved; furnace the maximum temperature is attained at the discharge endof the furnace, and it is at this point that the pyroineter 39 is located, hence the necessary and exact temperature of the articles as they leave the furnace may be regulated to a certainty.

hardening extend to all future operations upon the metal, and to the very life of the material itself. If the pieces are brass, for instance, and must be punched or drawn or spun, the machine which handles them will run easier and' faster without risk if the ieces are clean and uniform in malleability. ff they are to be stamped or pressed they its co d condition, in a exact construction shown and described, but,

- v tating the furnace. The good or ill effects of annealing or of a series of fire tile blocks arra'ngedin will appear clear and distinct and if they are to be buffed they will hecof one color whenfinished, If the pieces are steel and must he hardened they will be uniformly hardened, and be as hard as the particular, kind of steel under treatment will admit of.

, Experiments have demonstrated that arti cles can be more uniformly heated in this furnace than is possible in the tumbling barrel, or peanut roaster type of-furn'ace, or

in the horizontal bucket ,or chain conveyor type, because the. material is not only brou ht up ,to'the desirdftemperaturefrom to afford timefor the eadftopenetrate "its mass without overheatingit s surface parts, r

butfeach individual piece is 'c'onsta'ntlyen posed to the open heat of the chamber and tothe' everchan'ging surface of its'evenly heated convolutions of-the spiral conveyor, and is discharged at exactly the time it reachesalits maximum or desired temper-,1.

ature. This is of the utmost importance in hardening steel and it prevents LorreduceS oxidation toa great extentIf-J- i By providingv the furnacewith a revolving hopper discharging into two. throats,. the material is fed ti. the furnacetwiceat each revolution. The throats 9 also serveas vents for the exit of spent gases, and as the ingoing material absorbs'inost of the heat, there is but little ifany destructive action of the heat on the front end of the furnace.

It is evident that many slight changes might be resorted to in the relative arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the'spirit and scope of my invention hence I would have .it understood that I do not wish to confine myself to the Haying fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let'- ters-Patent, is i 1. In-an annealing furnace having a feed opening at one end and a block and tile lining, of means for revolving the furnace, and

a dischargingdoor adjacent the rear end of the furnace, adapted to automatically open and closevonce at each revolution of the furnace.v

' 2. Inan annealing furnace, the combina 'tion with a cylinder having a fire block ortile lining, of a hopper atone end of said furnace, an automatlcally'o en'ing door at the discharge end thereof an meansfor ro 3. In an annealing-furnacathe combination with a cylinder and alining composed;

spiral form and intermediate blocks also in mentioned blocks,

and means for revolving the furnace.

l. in an annealing furnace, the Y gl'radnal'mamier so as ins Q12}? spiral form and projecting beyond said first,

at one end, and provided with a lining, of a feed hopper carried by and'rotating with the cylinder and having an automatically opening and closing door for feeding the material into the furnace, means for automatically discharging the material near the opposite end and means for rotating the furnace.

In an annealing furnace, the combination with a cylinder having a spiral conveyer therein, of a hopper carried by the cylinder and means for automatically feedingthe material from the hopper into the furnace, and means for rotating thefurnace.

7. In an annealing furnace, the combination with a cylinder having a fire brick lining, of an automatically opening and closing door for discharging a portion of the 'zont'ents of the furnace at each revolution thereof, and means for rotating the furnace.

S. In an aiil'icaling furnace, the combination with a cylinder having a spiral conveyer therein, of hinged door located ad jacent to one. end of said spiral couveyer and adapte'd'tonpeii and close by gravity and meansfor'holdhig the door in its closed position until it reaches its lowest position.

9. In an annealing furnace, the combination. with a cylinder having a spiral conveyer therein, of a feed drum secured to. one end of said cylinder, throats leading from said drum to the feed opening in the cylinder and a partition separating said throats.

10. In an annealing furnace, the combination with-a cylinder and a spiral conveyer therein, of means carried by and rotating with the cylinder for automatically feeding the material into the furnace near one end, means for automatically discharging it near opposite end and a burner discharging into the furnace adjacent to the discharge end of the latter.

11. In an annealing furnace the combination with a cylinder having a discharge opening near one end, of a hinged door locatedadjac'ent the discharge end of said cylinder and adapted to open and close by gravity and means for holding the door closed until it reaches its lowest position.

12. In an annealing and hardening apparatus, the combination with a cylinder,'a

feed opening-at one end and-an automatic-- ally operating closure for the discharge opening in said cylinder, of means for rotatmg the cylinder, a quenching tank below said discharge opening and a conveyer partly submerged in the quenching tank and adapted to receive the articles discharged into the liquid from the furnace.

13. In an annealing and hardening apparatus, the combination with a cylinder providedwith a feed opening in one end and a discharge opening near its other end, of means for automatically feeding the articles to the cylinder, means for rotating the cylinder, a quenching tank. a conveyer therein and means for transmitting motion from the cylinder to the conveyer.

14. In an annealing and hardening apparatus, the combination with a cylinder, means for automatically feeding the articles into said cylinder, and automatically operated means for discharging the articles from the cylinder, of a quenching tank into which/ the heated articles are discharged, a conveye in said tank, and means for rotating the cylinder and actuating the conveyer.

15. In an annealing furnace, the combination with a. cylinder, of means for automatically feeding the material into the cylinder at one end, automatically operated means near its opposite end or discharging a. part of said material at each revolution, and a burner discharging into the cylinder adjacent to the'discharge end of the latter;

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER S. ROCKWELL.

Witnesses:

THOMAS G. TURNER, FRANK ALFRED CALHOUN. 

